In recent years, processes for manufacturing electrical harnesses wherein a plurality of electrical conductors are inserted into terminals have become progressively automated. Harness formation end-effectors have been developed for automated wire harness formation to effect a desired wire lay while terminating each wire of a wire harness in a particular manner. Devices of this type, such as those illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,048,710 to John Peter Nijman and 3,997,956 to William H. McKee, normally employ end-effectors which are dedicated to a particular formation, and thus are permanently provided with a particular type of tool tip. Wire harness formation end-effectors dedicated to a particular type of wire termination arrangement are often too limited for effective use in an automated, robotic harness formation unit, for such units must be adapted to provide wire termination with a number of various contact configurations. When the insertion tool for a robotic end-effector is contact dependent, the end-effector must be manually altered to accommodate contact configurations other than those for which the unit was initially designed. Thus, the particular tool tip on the end-effector must be removed by hand and an appropriate tool tip substituted therefor, thereby creating a manual operation which detracts from the time savings provided by an automated robotic unit.